


his world

by strawberrylipstick



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Humor, Bittersweet, Canon Compliant, F/M, Grief, Loss, Misunderstandings, Moving On, Tony loved his children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 05:23:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21113390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylipstick/pseuds/strawberrylipstick
Summary: “Your daddy’s like mine, you know.” The boy’s eyes narrow, but there’s some sympathy in his stare. “Both of them left us here, alone.”Morgan’s eyes sting. She doesn’t like school, and it’s only been a day. If only she could just run and run, back home, to Peter’s kind smile and board games, to Mom, to wherever her father went. “That’s not true. He loves me. My daddy loves me.”





	his world

September rolls by and school begins. Second grade, to be exact, and Morgan’s waited for this. She gives Peter some advice, as it’s his first day too—senior year. She doesn’t really know why it’s a big deal, but given Peter’s general personality, Morgan wants to give him a little talking-to.

“You should give Michelle a ring,” she tells him over Froot Loops. Not her favorite breakfast, but they ran out of flour for croissants. It’s okay, though, because Peter’s joined them today.

“They’re in high school, not getting married,” her mother chides as she pours some juice. Apple, not orange. Good. The taste of pulp is nasty.

Peter doesn’t seem to think so as he considers this. “No, it might be a nice way to—to symbolize our bond. Like, what type?” He looks at her.

“A ring pop.”

“Really? She does like cherry—”

“No, Peter.” Morgan shakes her head. “I was kidding.”

“Huh. Since when did you master sarcasm?”

She shrugs. “I watch a lot of TV. Mommy, show Peter your ring.”

Pepper sighs as she sets down the pitcher. On her finger is a beautiful diamond marvel, unblemished and shiny, as if she’d only gotten it yesterday.

“It must’ve cost him a fortune,” Peter says, smiling at her.

“It did.” Pepper stares at the piece of jewelry, smiling slightly. “We announced the engagement on that day you came to quarters, you know. He was going to officially make you an Avenger, but you declined.”

Peter begins to cough; Morgan pats his back immediately, he always chews too fast. He swallows with great difficulty. “God—you’re kidding. He was actually going to—?”

“Oh, yes.” She stands up and kisses his forehead. “He trusted you. He always did. And you’re going to kill it this year.”

Morgan thinks about this. “Did Daddy trust me too?”

“Of course he did, baby.” Her mother engulfs her in a wide hug. “Now, I know school might be a shock to you. If you don’t like it, just tell me. We’ll go back to homeschooling and Happy teaching you fractions.”

She shakes her head frantically and stands up. “No thank you. I want proper educational instruction. I’m going to love first grade, I know it.”

Pepper laughs. “If you’re sure. Now hurry up and walk with Peter so you aren’t late on the first day.”

_____________

Peter proves to be a very fast walker. Morgan is already panting by the time they reach the big grey buildings. She looks down at her uniform; white shirt and blue skirt. They’re ruffled.

“Where’s the fire, Parker?” she snaps.

“Oh.” He looks up from his phone sheepishly. “I’m so sorry, M. I just figured you would want to be early on your first ever day of school!”

She stares at him and then concludes, “You’re meeting MJ early?”

He sighs and kneels so they can stare at each other (although Peter’s not very big in the first place). “I’m trying to figure out if she’s a jewelry type of girl, after all. Relationships are harder than I thought, Morgan.”

Peter’s adorable. She can’t help but pinch his cheek and then kiss it. And she feels grateful, too, that this boy has become so close to her that they’re practically brother-sister. “You’ll be okay, Petey. I love you.”

He hugs her tight. It reminds her of the way her father used to, all those years ago. Well, it feels like it’s been a long time. “I love you too.” Morgan’s surprised to see his eyes are shiny. She doesn’t comment on it because he blinks rapidly. Teenage hormones, perhaps; a phrase she learned from Freeform. “Good luck. Not that you’ll need it.”

At first, it seems that way. It’s nice to be around kids around her own age. And the work is a piece of cake. She’s no longer in the  _ Dr. Seuss  _ stage, thanks to the accessibility of books in her home. Morgan’s not shy, either; Mrs. Honey already seems to enjoy her witty commentary. By lunchtime, she’s already made four or five friends, and they go sit by the oak tree. Next to the tree is a bench dedicated to her father. It makes her feel warm inside, but kind of sad too, for it seems to emphasize something.

“Earth to Morgan,” one of the girls says. She’s from the grade above and has plenty of freckles. “Which part of the city are you from?”

"Midtown.” 

“Nice, I’m from Queens.” She twirls a strand of hair. “The best borough by far. We have Spider-Man. Who are your guys’ favorite Avengers?”

“Iron-Man,” is the chant that comes from the whole group, except Morgan. She’s full of pride. Everyone loves her brother and father.

“Basic,” says a snarling voice. It’s a tall boy with heavily lidded eyes, Oliver something. He’d interrupted the teacher six times, and Morgan can’t help but roll her eyes. “Iron-Man’s overrated.”

Morgan laughs. The rest of the girls follow. “Overrated? He saved the planet. He brought back everyone from the Snap. You’re just rude.”

Oliver takes a menacing step closer and Morgan feels her blood boil. “My parents say he gets too much credit for a man that had everything handed to him.”

She stands up and faces him like a woman. Quickly assesses the situation. Then says quietly, “My daddy was the bravest man to ever live.” 

“Your daddy?” Oliver spits.

“My name is Morgan Stark.” The girls finally gasp; they’re a little slow. “And guess what? Iron-Man doesn’t care about what you think of him.”

Oliver raises an eyebrow. “Well, yeah. He’s dead. He killed himself and now you don’t have a dad.”

The words pierce her like daggers, but there’s more anger. Morgan launches herself on him before she can stop herself. People crowd around them, even the older kids. They hoot and cheer and laugh, but it sounds like it’s far away.

“You take it back!” she screams, hitting any corner she can find. 

“No!” he says, turning very red, as if he’s about to cry. “He’s selfish. Your dad is a selfish coward. Get off me, get off me—”

The yard duty finally interrupts. She’s screaming, too, and the noise is too much. Morgan wants to cry but doesn’t, even as the two of them walk to the principal’s office. She feels like she’s swallowed a huge block of ice. Her mother is going to keep her home, now, and she’s going to be stuck with Happy even though he doesn’t even know what a denominator is—

“How dare you say that,” Morgan hisses. Her heart beats frantically. “Why would you say that about my dad? You deserved it.”

Oliver’s lip is torn and bloody. She can’t help but feel slight guilt. It evaporates as he spits and says, “I’m allowed to say what I feel. I prefer the Hulk.”

“You’re an idiot.” She wants to throw up.

There’s silence for a few moments before he scoots closer to her. Morgan’s nausea increases and she huffs, not wanting to see the damage she did on his face.

“Is only your mom going to come?” he asks.

She glares at him, wondering if her slaps and punches affected his brain or something. “Well, you know my daddy is dead.”

“I don’t know who my dad is.” Oliver sniffs; Morgan doesn’t know what to say. She closes her eyes, trying to hold it all in.

He continues. “Your daddy’s like mine, you know.” The boy’s eyes narrow, but there’s some sympathy in his stare. “Both of them left us here, alone.”

Morgan’s eyes sting. She doesn’t like school, and it’s only been a day. If only she could just run and run, back home, to Peter’s kind smile and board games, to Mom, to wherever her father went. “That’s not true. He loves me. My daddy loves me.”

Oliver doesn’t have a chance to respond because Pepper arrives in sweats. Morgan winces; her mother didn’t even have a chance to get dressed.  _ Sorry, Mom,  _ she wants to say, but she’s not given an opportunity.

The principal listens to the story impassively. Oliver’s mother files her nails. Only Pepper is interested. They leave school without a word.

When they’re at home Morgan begins to sob. Pepper says nothing, just hugs, the way only a mother can. There’s no need for apologies, just reassurances. She kisses her, worry prominent. But leaving school isn’t an option anymore. “You need to be brave like Daddy and face kids like that. You can’t hurt people because of their stupid words. Just show this whole school your worth.”

_____________

Yet as time passes, it’s hard not to doubt. She ignores Oliver and everything, but the other children are now interested in her for all the wrong reasons. They follow her like a puppy, asking the most personal questions. It’s resulted in her spending recess with the librarian, a kind man who lets her check out as many books as she wants.

But it doesn’t dull the ache Morgan has when she sees fathers pick up their kids. Or when she watches TV and watches daddy-daughter dances. Even when she sucks on a juice pop, Morgan remembers her dad and what could’ve been if he’d lived. If he’d decided to stay.

Morgan doesn’t bombard her mother or Peter or Happy with questions about Iron-Man’s sacrifice. She knows it’s a big deal that saved plenty of people, so it’s fine. She knows she’s being the selfish one, thinking he should’ve not done what he did. 

Meanwhile, Peter has a blast. He’s managing being Spider-Man and his girlfriend and his grades. He takes her trick-or-treating with him and Ned and she finally meets MJ. She’s a pretty, tall girl that also detests Peter’s eating habits. Life begins to pick up again.

And then Thanksgiving comes. May Parker flashes her ring this time, courtesy of Happy. It’s a nice night, full of laughter and good food. Morgan only thinks about her father’s vacancy a little bit.

School is barely challenging. The first project centers around a heroic figure in your life. On a cold day, Morgan asks her mother who she should choose.

Pepper looks surprised. “Well, your dad is a good choice.”

“Oh. Yeah.” She begins to color half-heartedly. “I was thinking you, though. Or Peter. Or Happy.” Morgan sneaks a glance at her mother, who has her eyebrows raised. “Probably you. Oh, MJ’s a good choice too. She works for the United Airlines even though she’s only a high-schooler.”

“Nations,” Pepper corrects. “But why isn’t your father one of the options?”

Morgan is silent. Her mother keeps waiting, though, so she says, “Well, some people, like Oliver, may disagree. He doesn’t think Iron-Man is a hero.”

She sits down next to her. “Well, yes. But we’re talking about your  _ personal  _ hero.”

Morgan shrugs. “I’ve known you longer.”

“Well, I—Not MJ. You’ve known MJ for months.”

“MJ hasn’t left me yet,” Morgan says automatically. She knows her mother is frozen even before she looks up. “Just kidding.”

Pepper stares at her. “I can’t believe you would say that.”

Morgan continues to color, ignoring the stinging in her eyes.

“Your father,” Pepper says, voice raised, “did his best for us. You don’t know, Morgan, you’re just a child. He saved so many, and he loved you—”

She throws the crayons on the floor, one by one. Then rips the papers. “How am I supposed to know that? That he loved me?” Morgan screams and screams. “He didn’t have to die, but he did. He did and now I don’t have a dad!”

Her mother doesn’t say anything. She stands. Then nods.

“Clean up the mess you made,” is the only thing she says before leaving the room.

_____________

Morgan’s moping in her room when Peter knocks. She knows it’s Peter because he says, “I brought cheeseburgers!”

“Go away.” She buries herself in the quilt.

“C’mon, M. Please. I need you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do. I actually need your advice.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“What advice do you need, Peter?” Morgan grits out.

“Oh, yeah. Girl advice. MJ.”

Morgan knows he’s lying, but it’s quicker to get it over with. She unlocks the door and faces him. He’s wearing the suit.

“I can’t take you seriously when your eyes are big and white.” She sits on her bed and he laughs as he puts off the mask, plopping down right next to her.

“You should’ve seen my first ever suit.” Peter cringes. “I got it from the Dumpster, but hey, I was doing my best. It was really ugly, though.” Morgan doesn’t say anything, so he continues, “I think I was in a bad place then.”

She tilts her head. “You were?”

“Oh, yeah. I was happy, technically, because I’d just gotten these super cool powers. I mean, I was bitten by a radioactive spider! What boy doesn’t want that? But…” His voice goes smaller. “My uncle had just died. It was—well, pardon my language, but it was crap.”

“Crap,” Morgan repeats.

“Don’t say that!” He nudges her. “But yeah. Yeah, it was.” Peter sighs. “I was occupied with the powers to ignore, well, the loss. In a way, it was worse than my parents’ death. I knew Ben for longer. He was my best friend. My—my best friend.”

Morgan squeezes his hand; Peter squeezes his back.

“And then your dad was at my apartment. He wanted to recruit me for some, uh, work. He knew about my powers. Well, obviously, I wanted to pee my pants.” Morgan giggles. “He was kind of scary at first. Rich and wearing a suit worth more than my entire apartment. But I got to know how nice he was when he made me a new suit. He let me keep it. Actually, not even that. Mr. Stark, Tony, your dad—he redecorated my whole room. I didn’t even say anything about it. My aunt did with some off-hand comment; ‘A growing boy needs more space,’ or whatever. And that’s when I knew...I knew he was a great person.”

Peter clears his throat. “It’s terrible that I had more time with him than you, Morgan. And I feel guilty, I—” His eyes well up. “I died during the Snap, you know. He saw me die. Disintegrate. I don’t even know. It killed him.”

“He loved you,” Morgan says quietly.

“He loved you, too. More than you’ll ever know...And then the Avengers decided to save the world. Tony stepped up, of course he did—”

And then the realization seeps through, rendering her numb. “It was for you. He wanted to save you. You were...like his son. He told me, once. He told me a lot about you.”

His next words are so quiet Morgan can barely hear. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. My aunt wouldn’t be here. Ned wouldn’t be here, MJ wouldn’t...He was so selfless. So incredibly selfless and—and he wanted to keep what he had. There was no way he would’ve accepted a world without you either.”

“You were his world, Morgan,” Pepper says from the doorway. She’s crying, too. It’s a huge tear fest. “I wish, I wish he was here, too.”

And Morgan realizes her mother is a true hero, too. She’d stuck with her father through thick and thin, and she still remained strong afterward, for her daughter, for everyone. She lost the love of her life and still held a brave face.

So the three of them embrace, crying until they hiccup. 

“The cheeseburgers are probably getting cold,” Morgan says after a few minutes, muffled from the hug, and the two of them laugh.

“We should probably eat them, then,” Pepper says, squeezing her hand. She looks at her daughter, seeing flashes of Tony. And she, too, knows it'll all be okay.

_____________

On her sixteenth birthday, Morgan listens to a recording her father made for her the day before he went on that mission that saved her brother and countless others.

She didn’t know she could understand him even more than she did already, but she begins to. And she carries that understanding everywhere she goes.

**Author's Note:**

> comment what you think!


End file.
